Tried to take care of the big news du jour in previous posting, but here are a few more notes and quotes from the morning skate at HP Pavilion.

*****Last seen before the Sharks swing through Western Canada, Marty Havlat was hopping around on crutches. Not any more.

“When I came back from the all-star break and walked in, he met me in the hallway and looked really good,” Todd McLellan said. “That was the best I’ve seen him look – no crutches, no limp, walking very good.

“I think from this point forward it’s about getting his strength up and conditioning,” the Sharks coach continued. “I can’t pinpoint a date for you, but the sooner the better.”

Havlat walked past me a few minutes later and I can confirm McLellan’s account.

He wouldn’t set a timetable for Havlat’s return, or even when he’d be on skates again.

But I did talk with general manager Doug Wilson last night and he’s sticking with the time frame he passed along to season-ticket holder a couple weeks ago: Early March to mid-March for Havlat’s return.

For the record, that is longer than the 6-to-8 weeks “ballpark” estimate that Wilson went along with Dec. 21 when it was tossed out by a reporter the day Havlat underwent the surgery to repair a partially torn tendon.

*****McLellan acknowledged the Sharks’ depth has been tested with both Clowe and Havlat out of the lineup.

“It’s hurt our depth, quite frankly,” he said. “Not that other players haven’t stepped up – you look at Benn Ferriero scoring big goals and Andrew Desjardins being on the top line.”

But Clowe and Havlat, he continued, “are gifted offensively. They give us incredible depth up front, they add to the power play unit. And what it does is it forces other players to perform.”

Their absence also limits McLellan’s options as far as making a point with under-performing players.

“When you’re not as deep, players can get away with a little bit more,” he said. “Coaches don’t have as many tools to use to send messages. We’re excited about getting both of those guys back eventually.”

*****With Jason Demers out of the lineup tonight against Columbus (see previous posting), McLellan could go with the set-up he used in the 1-0 victory over Calgary right before the break.

He had seven defensemen in the lineup that night, but Jim Vandermeer was slotted as the fourth line’s left wing.

McLellan praised Vandermeer’s work that night, but wouldn’t tip his hand for tonight.

“That’ll be a game-time decision. We have some choices to make there,” the coach said. “Obviously getting him back into the lineup and some playing time is important, so he will play some games over the next little bit.”

*****The Sharks also re-called John McCarthy from Worcester, so he’s in the mix as well.

*****Tonight’s goaltender match-up pits Antti Niemi against Columbus’s Steve Mason. In the two previous games between the teams — both of them 2-1 San Jose victories — the Sharks went with Thomas Greiss and the Blue Jackets went with Curtis Sanford.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.